


Closer

by LegendaryArmor, ombrophilia



Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: F/F, Post-Game(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-22
Updated: 2013-02-22
Packaged: 2017-12-03 06:57:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/695490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LegendaryArmor/pseuds/LegendaryArmor, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ombrophilia/pseuds/ombrophilia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It could have been funny, how quickly Rita’s heart was beating. Right now, she wasn’t focused on much else aside from how close Estelle was and how little the way she expected tonight to go actually resembled what was happening.</p><p>“You’re welcome, Estelle.” And before Rita even knew what she was doing, another sentence spilled out of her mouth. “There’s something I should probably tell you.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Closer

**Author's Note:**

> A roleplay-turned-fanfiction written by myself and the wonderful ombrophilia. Cheers!

Rita Mordio, genius mage.

Well, that wasn't right anymore, was it? It had been about a year since she and the people she never expected to call her friends beat back the Adephagos and saved the world. You know, no big deal. It was all in a day's work, even if that work meant destroying all the world's blastia.

Which, obviously, Rita had been having a hard time adjusting to. And everyone else in the world, but Rita especially. Everything she'd ever studied was about blastia: New types, new applications, new formulae. And they'd done so much to make people's lives better, and now they were just... all gone. Dead. For the best, of course, but for a while it was chilling to even think about.

Of course, a genius was still a genius no matter what she studied. Blastia might have been gone, but the formulae had a surprising amount of practical applications outside of them. It was only a month or so ago that Rita had gotten anywhere productive with this new line of study. Inventing a brand new field of science didn't happen overnight. But this new understanding of the physical world around them, the laws behind how everything worked and why... it was just as fascinating as blastia study! And the things she could create with a better understanding of these physical laws...

Rita knew that Estelle probably didn't care all that much about all this, but she had to tell _somebody_. Who better than her housemate? And who cared if it was the middle of the night. Science waited for no one!

Her latest theorem in hand, Rita Mordio, genius physicist, knocked on Estelle's door.

Estellise Sidos Heurassein, princess to a throne no longer, was snuggled up in bed with a thick, heavy tome nestled to her legs when she heard the knock. She gasped a bit, broken from her reverie; the book was full of ancient fairy tales, a personal favorite of hers, and she'd been quite entranced.

Her glasses slid down her nose a little, and she pushed them back up as she got out of the bed and padded over to the other side of the room. She adjusted her sleeping robes, though they were still a bit rumpled, before opening the door. It was impossible to hold back the smile that took in her face at the sight of the younger girl in front of her. "Rita! You look excited. Did you find something new?"

Sleeping robes? Who had time to change into those. It was a wonder Rita had remembered to take her goggles off her eyes, which, by the way, sparked with excitement as she started talking. Though she was looking down at her paper, it was probably pretty obvious that none of her words were actually written down on there.

"We already knew about conservation of energy before I started studying this, and you probably remember last month, when I made my first major breakthrough and proved that the work something does is equal to the force times how far it moves.

"And the other night, when we had that really bad thunderstorm? I saw lightning and I started thinking about it. It left a scorch mark nearby, so we know it's incredibly hot, and since heat is work, there has to be a force, so something in lightning has to have some kind of mass!"

Rita knew that this wouldn't have nearly the same kind of impact on Estelle as it did on herself, but that didn't stop her from looking up expectantly, with that ridiculous kind of grin that only meant she'd figured out something fantastic.

"Do you understand what this means?"

Estelle pondered the question for a moment; she didn't want to let Rita down, even if a lot of the science was far beyond her understanding. "Could you... make it? Or figure out how to make it?"

She was always eager to hear about Rita's discoveries; the scientist was so passionate about her work, which was not only wonderful but also no small relief. Estelle had worried to no end about what the loss of blastia would do to Rita's drive, but the prodigy was just as vibrant - if not more - than she'd been prior to the destruction of the Adephagos.

"I should be able to, once I understand it a little better." Estelle's answer wasn't the one Rita expected, but it had definitely crossed Rita's mind. "I'd need to figure out a way to contain it if I did, unless Karol wanted us to go hunting again. Can you imagine?" Harnessing lightning definitely wouldn't be as easy as reciting some formulae anymore. (As if that were the only problem.)

"Anyway, if I can, I can definitely use it to help people!" She hadn't figured out how on that end yet, either, but when was the last time something ever really stumped her?

As if finally realizing that she'd intruded on Estelle in the middle of the night, Rita lowered her hand and her gaze at the same time. "I hope I didn't wake you up. I know you've been working hard, too."

"Oh, no, not at all!" Leaning forward slightly, she brushed a strand of Rita's hair from her face as she spoke. "I was just reading a fairy tale to relax. But... we have both been working hard, haven't we?"

She'd been dividing her time between aiding the locals, educating children, and most importantly, learning about medicine that wasn't healing artes. If Rita was working so hard, day in and day out, to learn about things that could replace what the blastia had all done, the least Estelle felt she could do was spread the use of advanced medicine around the world.

"I'm fine, though. I love hearing about all the things you've been learning! It's wonderful seeing you so happy, too."

Try as she might, Rita couldn't help but blush. She'd gotten a little better about those kinds of emotions since she ended her little world-saving adventure and decided to "settle down" with Estelle, but... well, they only lived together. Nothing else.

At least she didn't try to inconspicuously hide her flushing face in her notes or anything. "Has anything interesting happened lately? I know I've kind of been holed up in my lab a lot."

Estelle smiled as Rita's cheeks reddened, but said nothing about it. "Hm. I think I'm onto something with compressing herbs into smaller pills, but I'm still working on how to make the process more efficient and affordable for everyone that would need it. Other than that, though... Oh!" She clapped her hands together, giggling. "You missed it when Yuri came by yesterday afternoon.He vaulted in through Flynn's office window again and got mud everywhere. Flynn was _so_ mad."

Rita laughed, partially out of relief, but almost entirely because Yuri would never stop getting on Flynn's nerves like this. "You'd think for as long as they've known each other, he'd be used to this kind of thing by now!"

Wow. For the first time in a while, a thought crossed Rita's mind. Sounding cautious, she looked up at Estelle like she was part of some different world.

"Hey, Estelle. Do you ever think it's weird that we didn't even know each other a couple of years ago? I mean, look at where we are now." Living together and working on changing the world together. "Did you ever think it would end up like this?"

"Oh, I think about it all the time!" She looked thoughtful as she continued. "I was so different, even just a few years back. I'd never even left the castle... Traveling with you, and everyone else, and saving the world taught me so much. We've all grown so much." It was certainly true - the Estelle of the past would have never seen herself living with an eccentric mage, passing her days reading to children and tinkering with medicines. Not only that, but their journey had given her nerves a spark of steel that hadn't quite begun to shine.

Her smile returned, brilliant and enthusiastic. "And we're still going strong! I'm so happy here with you, working on making the world a better place."

"I think you always had it in you, even back then. It didn't take a genius to notice how much you cared about everybody." Never one to pass up a chance, she gave Estelle a smug little look. "But being a genius helped."

"I guess I'm just happy one of us knows enough about medicine and things to really help other people. Before I met you, I didn't really trust anybody but blastia." Because she didn't know any other way to continue, she took a tiny step forward. "Do you mind if I come in?"

"Oh! Of course!" Moving aside, she gave Rita space to come in before shutting the door behind her. The room was a rather dim but for the single, small lantern; it would be spacious, if there weren't bookshelves covering each part of the wall. Estelle moved to sit on the bed, patting the space beside her; the only other spot to really take was the heavy chair at her desk.

And Rita did take that chair, sitting in it sideways to have a better look at the rest of the room. The bookshelves were never surprising, but they always kind of amused her. Rita's lab was full of books, too, but none of them were close to shelved and definitely none of them were on the same subjects. Except one or two she may have borrowed from Estelle for whatever totally innocuous reason.

"I guess I just wanted to thank you. If it weren't for you and Yuri thinking I stole that aque blastia, none of this ever would've happened." Thinking it had been long enough to bring something else back up again, Rita looked Estelle's way and tried sounding casual. "I've even almost forgiven you for looking through my nightstand."

"Oh! I, um. Yes. Thank you." Estelle flushed a little. Truth be told, the moment hadn't completely faded from her memory. Far from it, in fact. "Thank you for being so... um... forgiving. Hee hee." She giggled, equal parts nervousness and amusement.

Rita shrugged nonchalantly. "You've saved my life more than a few times." That should've been more than enough explanation, and if it wasn't, well, that was all Rita felt like giving. She leaned forward in her chair.

"Hey, do you think there's anything in this medicine business that I could help out with? Once I figure out a way to control lightning, maybe I can help make your herb-crushing more efficient." Oh, there's an idea. Rita's eyes lit up and almost instinctively she reached for her goggles. (But she didn't put them on. Yet.) "I could transfer the potential energy of lightning into something and use that energy to do work faster and better than either one of us! The possibilities are endless!"

"Oh, Rita! That would be wonderful!" Estelle clapped her hands to her cheeks in excitement. "Oh, just think about all the things we could come up with over time! We make such a good team!" She beamed at the other girl, radiating enthusiastic joy. This, working beside Rita and making the world better one idea at a time - this was so much better than wasting her days away in a castle, ignorant and secluded.

"I'd need to bring you down to be an assistant to make sure I'm not ruining anything, but other than that it should go off perfectly! Estelle, we're geniuses."

Scientific breakthroughs were always points of pride for Rita, but being able to bring Estelle into this one... it felt different. More exciting. She'd always usually worked alone in the lab, but with somebody else there, and especially somebody like Estelle, who knew what could happen?

"I don't even know how I could relax right now." She took her hand off her goggles and stood up quickly. "I've got too many ideas bouncing around in my head! There's so much we could do together!"

"I would love to work with you in your lab! Oh, this will be so much fun," Estelle practically gushed, bouncing up from the bed and grabbing onto Rita's hands. "You're so incredible, Rita! I'm so happy here with you." They would keep changing the world for the better, there was no doubt in her mind about that. It was perfect. _They_ were perfect.

It was a little embarrassing how something as simple as holding hands could make Rita blush like this. She'd never asked to have a crush on Estelle, but just thinking about it made her hands squeeze a little tighter.

"I'm happy with you, too," she mumbled her way through, feeling her face flare up again. Hoping she could get off this subject (for her own sake if no one else's), she tried her best to look towards the door and not at Estelle. "Do you want to head down there now so I can show you some of the ideas I've been working on?"

"Of course!" She turned towards the door, still holding one of Rita's hands in her own as she led the way. "Oh, I can't wait to see all the progress you've made. And your lab is so interesting!" She continued gushing, oblivious to the younger girl's flushed face. "Everything you work on is always so fascinating. I'm sorry I don't always understand all of it... I love seeing you work so much, though, and hearing about all the things you discover!"

Estelle loved learning almost more than anything else in the world, bookworm that she was. Maybe it was one of the reasons she got along with Rita so well - she learned new things every day, every moment, that she spent in the researcher's company.

And if the day ever came when Rita ran out of things to learn, well, she'd better have died in a tragic (yet cool-looking) lab accident. Actually, maybe that's where the crush had come from. Nobody else in Aspio had taken to Rita's research quite like Estelle. Nobody in Rita's life had ever been quite like Estelle, really.

"Great. Let's get going," Rita said, pretending that she was getting used to holding the other girl's hand. She didn't notice that she was leaving behind the notes that had brought her here in the first place, but she had other things on her mind right now. "I know that unlike some of us, you can't always afford to stay up all night working. I'll make sure to give you decent hours when you're my assistant." Unless Estelle wanted to pass out with Rita in the lab, or something like that, but could they please get through the door Rita opened before Estelle noticed anything, wow.

"I suppose I _am_ a bit of a heavy sleeper," she replied sheepishly. She blinked for a moment, then, peering at Rita's face. A realization, a worry, suddenly permeated her thoughts.

"Are... are you okay, Rita? I don't make you uncomfortable, do I?" Estelle knew she tended to be kind of touchy-feely, and Rita was one of the more personal people she'd come across. She'd always been quick to touch her, or hold her close, or any number of things without even thinking about it; in fact, she quite liked doing so, in Rita's case. But the last thing she wanted was to make things awkward between her and the other girl; the scientist was quite dear to her... more than anyone else was, actually.

"What?" That kind of came out of... okay, it wasn't especially out of nowhere; anybody could tell how Rita acted around Estelle. Even Raven, but for all Rita knew, he had a different reason for being that perceptive about it. Rita stopped walking to look at Estelle.

"You don't make me uncomfortable," she admitted, barely hesitating. And Estelle didn't! Not anymore. Definitely not anymore. "Actually, I think it's kind of nice." That part came out quieter, but at least Rita could keep a handle on the increasingly persistent blush while she said it. There were a lot of things she could have said to follow up on it, but the risk was just way too high of her stumbling over her words and making everything worse, so she decided shutting up would be the best idea.

"I'm glad! I was so worried for a moment," Estelle replied, hugging the other girl close to her. She sighed, content, smiling for what appeared to be no reason at all. "If I ever do something you don't like, tell me, okay?"

Hugs? Hugging? There was only so much Rita could handle while still remaining coherent, and she was already close to the end of that rope. If she were prone to nosebleeds, this would be the perfect time for one. Unfortunately, she didn't know what else to do. Hug back? Stand there? Confess the crush she'd been keeping secret for far too long?

 _You can keep doing this if you want,_ she thought, very thankful that she didn't say it out loud. What she did say aloud came with a very forced, very fake cockiness behind it, trying so hard to sound like regular Rita. "I don't really see that happening."

At that, Estelle held her more tightly. "You're so kind to me," she said with a smile, her face nestled cozily in the shorter girl's hair. She could swear she almost felt the other's heartbeat, they were so close - and it was absolutely wonderful. "Thank you for everything, Rita."

It could have been funny, how quickly Rita's heart was beating. Right now, she wasn't focused on much else aside from how close Estelle was and how little the way she expected tonight to go actually resembled what was happening.

"You're welcome, Estelle." And before Rita even knew what she was doing, another sentence spilled out of her mouth. "There's something I should probably tell you."

Estelle pulled back a little so she could actually look at Rita's face, her blue eyes wide and innocent. Her hands still lingered on the sides of the other girl's arms as she spoke, a familiar warmth in her chest. "Huh? What is it?" As naive as Estelle was, she had a few ideas of where this conversation could go. She'd had her own suspicions about Rita's feelings a few times, but hesitated to ever mention it in case she was wrong.

And honestly? She hoped she wasn't.

 _Crap! Why did I have to go and say something like that out loud?_ Rita thought, almost frantic. And yet, somewhere between the immediate self-beratement and the persistent regret in actually starting this conversation, taking a left at the knot in Rita's stomach, Estelle's question got through. And Rita knew there was no backing out now.

"I," she started, her heart beating much, much faster than it should have been for someone like her. Genius physicist, complete social moron. "I think I like you. As a lot more than a friend."

Despite her hunch, Estelle felt like her heart rate had nearly doubled. She hadn't been expecting this, not tonight, not anytime soon, but it was far from unwelcome. Her stomach felt like it was doing somersaults as she tried to keep her composure. "Well," she began, her voice not much higher than a whisper, "I know I like you, as a lot more than a friend."

Was.

Was this actually happening?

The crush Rita always thought was about as realistic as the world surviving without blastia was something that Estelle felt, too? Her arms dropped to her sides as she looked up at Estelle in surprise. "Do you mean it? We actually like each other like that?"

"It does appear that way," the healer said softly, smiling. She brushed a strand of hair back from Rita's cheek again, leaving her hand there to feel the warmth of her skin.

"You're so, so dear to me. Um... you have been for a really long time, now," she said, stepping in close again. She looked Rita right in the eyes as she spoke, her gaze full of adoration and wonder.

"I could really say the same about you," Rita said, though once she realized that the totally innocent action of brushing her hair out of her face meant a lot more now, she definitely could not stop herself from blushing.

"You're the first person who actually cared about the things I was researching." For the first time in what felt like a while, she looked directly at Estelle. This was supposed to be easier. "And you taught me a lot about... I don't know. How to live outside of Aspio. I don't even know what I can do to thank you." Her face still red, she smiled in a way she didn't let a lot of other people see.

"You don't have to thank me, Rita. I'm just... I'm just so glad you're happy. Oh, I hope that's not presumptuous! You just seem like it, with all the research you can do, and all the things you learn, and..." Estelle was really invading her personal space now, but she was bolstered by the fact that the scientist didn't seem to mind. "If anything, I should be thanking you. You've always been there for me. And we've learned so much together, about so many things. I really cherish all the time we've spent together!"

She blushed a little more as she realized how animated she was getting, and went back to almost a whisper, looking shyly into Rita's eyes again. "But, um, yes. I... I do care about you a lot. Oh, I'm not very good at this, I’m sorry..."

Of course Rita didn't mind, this was... this was kind of amazing, really. The burden of that secret was slowly lifting itself from her shoulders, so Rita could start being more open about her feelings. Like Estelle had always helped her to be in the first place.

"If you're bad at this, I'd hate to find out how I'm doing." She laughed at herself quietly, then reached out and touched her... friend's? arm. "Of course I'm happy, Estelle. And I wouldn't know what that feels like if it weren't for you."

Just like that, Rita wasn't really concerned about the right thing to say anymore. Everything seemed right. "To be honest, I was kind of hoping we'd be able to spend a lot more time together."

"That would be wonderful," she replied easily, her smile taking in her face. She leaned against the other girl, their foreheads touching as she loosely embraced Rita, her hands resting gently on her back. "This is wonderful. Oh, I'm so happy..."

"You're telling me." Estelle was easy to be with and easier to hold. Something about the way their heads were positioned, how close they were to each other reminded Rita of... something. Maybe she'd read about it before. But she was busy trying to take all this in. Smiling openly, looking into Estelle's beautiful eyes, feeling heartbeats. This could last forever.

Estelle felt a surge of warmth in her face again as another idea came to her, something she'd read all about, and seen a lot of, especially after the Adephagos was destroyed - but never actually done herself. Would it be okay with Rita, though? Oh no, what if she wasn't very good at it?

She took a deep breath to calm herself down and banish her doubts, and looked into Rita's eyes again before closing her own, leaning forward even more... She hesitated, giving the other girl plenty of time to push her away, before ever so gently pushing their lips against one another, her heart soaring higher than it ever had before.

What was... was this the thing that Rita had been thinking about? It had to have been. It made her feel warm all over, and happy, happier than she thought she could feel. Just the idea of being that close with Estelle, close enough to do something like this that was obviously intimate, even if Rita didn't know the significance behind it.

But since it was a complete surprise, she pulled her head back a little, breaking whatever this was called prematurely. "Estelle," she started. "What was that?"

"O-oh, um, it's... it's called kissing," she replied, caught off guard. Of all the responses, it certainly hadn't been the one she'd expected. "It's something people do to show romantic affection. Or, I guess - sometimes just because it feels good, if you're like Raven," she giggled, obviously a little nervous. "And sometimes family members do it too, I think, but usually on the cheek."

She worried at her bottom lip, and asked, "Did you... did you like it? I've never done it before, either."

Kissing? None of her books mentioned anything like that. Just one more thing she could learn from Estelle, and just like everything else, it was definitely not a bad thing.

"I liked it! I just... didn't know what was happening." The sentence died halfway through as Rita tried hiding her embarrassment in the direction of her own shoulder. Ugh. But she couldn't let something like this get the better of her. Forcing herself to make eye contact again (it wasn't really that hard), she asked, "Is it supposed to last longer than that?"

"Oh! Well... it can, especially if it gets... passionate?" Estelle wasn't aware her face could flush so deeply; maybe it was becoming contagious, with how much Rita herself did it. "It depends on the people doing the kissing, I suppose." She glanced at the floor. "I wouldn’t mind trying again, and... maybe doing it for longer this time."

It made Rita feel better to see that Estelle wasn't immune to the emotions that she herself had been feeling more or less constantly since this conversation started. "It felt nice, but it doesn't seem like there's a lot to it," Rita said in probably her weakest analysis yet. "Is that all we're supposed to do, or..."

Actually, it probably didn't matter, not even a little. Maybe this was one of those things Rita could learn by doing. So she leaned back in, very close to Estelle's face again, but couldn't bring herself to close the last bit of distance. She stifled a small laugh at her own expense. "Sorry."

Even with the awkwardness, it all felt so natural, so wonderful. She was so at ease. Estelle giggled a little, her lips curving into a smile. "You're... you're so cute," she said, half a second before closing the gap and kissing the other girl once more. One of her hands weaved its way into Rita's hair, the other resting on the scientist's hip, holding her close as Estelle kissed her with all the tenderness of a saint.

Estelle thought Rita was cute? Oh, like that made this entire night any easier for her to process. Rita never could shut her brain off, even if she was in the middle of a kiss with the girl she'd had a crush on since basically the day they met. So all she could focus on was whether she was doing this right, and what it meant for the two of them afterwards, and whether they would have to share the same bed now, and... all she could focus on was everything.

Her eyes still wide open, Rita quietly wondered when she'd started getting worried about these sorts of things. Wasn't she supposed to be the one who had all the answers? And right now she couldn't even get her brain to slow down enough to do something as simple as close her eyes and enjoy it.

Estelle's hand moved to cup Rita's cheek, her thumb sliding gently against her skin. This was amazing! Just as wonderful as all the books said it was. She opened her eyes and broke away after a moment, smiling at the look on the other girl's face before embracing her, holding her more closely than she ever had before. This time, she didn’t say anything; she just focused on the amazing feeling of Rita in her arms.

Hugs, Rita could do. They were easy; they'd both hugged a few times before. Doing something she knew how to do felt like a weight coming off her shoulders, but it only made her mind heavier. None of those questions were any closer to being answered. But at least now her mouth was free.

She didn't look up; it was more comfortable, somehow, being in the arms of a princess. "Estelle?" she started, with a voice like testing cracks in ice. "What does this mean for us?"

"Well... whatever we want it to, I think," she began slowly. "I think the only right way to do it is the one that makes us happy. If you don't want to change the way we do things, then we don't have to! And if we do, we can try things slowly. Nobody else has a say in it, right?"

She absently stroked Rita's hair as she continued. "We'll do what makes us happy. There aren't any rules to feeling this way." She hugged Rita more tightly for a moment. "I... I want you to be comfortable with me, Rita."

It was kind of funny, how something so complicated could sound so easy when coming out of the person that, right now, Rita trusted the most. Feeling more at ease, she reached up and placed her hand near Estelle's ear, letting pink hair intertwine with her fingers.

"Of course I'm comfortable with you. Do you really think I'd be doing this with anybody else?" It came out like a joke, but was there really anyone else? Rita hesitated, but the air about her was far less serious this time. She looked up at Estelle, finally.

"If we have to share a bed after this, there's barely enough room for me in mine."

A surge of elation spread through every part of Estelle as Rita played with her hair, and their eyes met once more. She giggled quietly, her whole face lighting up into a smile. "Well, there should be plenty of room in mine," she said with slightly pink cheeks. "It's really cozy, too! I think you'd like it a lot. Oh! We could read together there, too! That would be wonderful, don't you think?"

She already could imagine them there, together in the winter, snuggled up under blankets and reading until they fell asleep beside each other. And as simple as it was, it made her happier than she could begin to say.

"I think you'll end up doing most of the reading," Rita said, a laugh hanging on the edge of her voice. "Unless you really want to hear about the latest dissertation from Halure." But she knew that Estelle would listen to her read the weather forecast with bated breath.

And if the matching blush on Rita's face was any indication, she was imagining the same setup. She couldn't hold back a smile any longer. "I am so happy you don't think I'm weird for this."

"I've never thought you were weird, Rita," Estelle replied, her voice overflowing with fondness. She took the scientist by the hand, and continued, "Would you like to just go... lay down, then? It's getting a bit late, and after this, I'm not sure I can process a lot of scientific theories without a bit of rest."

Her lips quirked in a tiny, embarrassed smile. "And, I'm... just really excited at the idea of holding you in a big, warm bed, I suppose."

Oh. Wow, Estelle was being kind of forward, but Rita... Rita was okay with that. She was okay with a lot of things involving Estelle. She smiled even wider, almost involuntarily. "I'd really like that, I think. Uh, you don't mind if I curl up a lot, do you?"

Look, it was more economical that way. She could sleep surrounded by books if she made herself as compact as possible.

"Of course not! Come on, let's go back." She turned and walked the short distance back to her room, Rita's hand held in hers the entire time. Estelle was no stranger to happiness, but the feeling enveloping her now was truly taking her heart to new heights.

"Oh! Aren't you going to need something to sleep in besides your clothes?" she asked as she opened the door.

Rita stopped in her tracks, content to hold Estelle's hand while thinking that question over. "I usually just sleep in this," she said, taking her goggles off her forehead and into her free hand. "Lately I've been falling asleep studying more often than not."

Yeah, she had other clothing, but the old red, yellow, and black number fit her pretty well. It was way more comfortable on its own than with the robes she used to wear over it in Aspio. "I haven't even looked in my closet for weeks, I've been so busy figuring out these formulae."

"Well, if you're sure," Estelle replied, still smiling. She closed the door behind Rita as they stepped into the room, and then walked over to the bed, wondering in the back of her mind if this was all some kind of fantastic dream.

She stifled a yawn. "Would you rather sleep closer to the wall?"

Stifled or not, it was contagious; Rita did yawn, openly, before replying. "It's no big deal to me either way." Of course, what mattered was that she could spend the night with Estelle at all, but she'd almost definitely probably never say that out loud. Her face was starting to hurt from how warm it was and how much she was smiling, but Rita really, really did not care at all right now.

"I don't think I'll have any problems falling asleep anyway."

Keeping Estelle's hand in hers, Rita sat down on her... her friend's bed. Her, um. Whatever word it was. "Wow. Your bed is really soft."

"Isn't it? I always get such a good night's rest," Estelle replied, sitting beside the other girl. She squeezed Rita's hand lightly for a moment before laying down, curling under the blankets and stifling another yawn.

Rita's mind immediately wondered what else would make Estelle's bed incredibly comfortable to sleep in, and came to the conclusion that yes, Estelle is what would do that. She mirrored Estelle's movements and got under the blankets herself, electing to nestle herself behind the other girl, closer to the wall.

Cautiously, she reached one arm out and draped it over Estelle's body in a sideways hug. Finding out that she was bold enough to do something like that made her heart flutter and her face beam.

Estelle cuddled closer to the scientist and yawned again, drifting off with a smile on her face and a warmth in her chest that she felt may never fade. This night was too wonderful, too magical.

As she drifted off to sleep, one more thing drifted across her thoughts - 

_Dreams do come true. ___


End file.
